113th General Assembly
Policy Update

March 10, 2023

Dual Enrollment Bill Passes

Higher Education Subcommittee

The House Higher Education Subcommittee took action on Monday to unanimously pass TICUA’s proposed dual enrollment bill. The bill is sponsored by Rep. William Slater. HB957 seeks to address the recent changes to the Dual Enrollment Grant. In the previous session, the General Assembly increased the amount of the grant to match the tuition charges of the public community colleges but also set the increased grant amount as a cap on the cost of the courses. Without state subsidies, it is difficult for some TICUA members to recoup the necessary funds to pay for certain courses. Consequently, TICUA is requesting that the cap be removed for private colleges and universities. The bill will now move to the House Education Administration Committee. The senate companion bill has already passed in the senate chamber and is awaiting house action.

Minority Teaching Fellows

SB231/HB276 changes the amount of a minority teaching fellowship award from $5,000 to the cost of tuition and fees at a public university. This improvement will be for minority students enrolled in a degree program leading to licensure as a teacher at a college or university with an approved educator preparation program. The aid at a TICUA member program will be capped at the average cost of tuition and fees at public universities. The proposed change comes from Sen. Jeff Yarbro and Rep. Sam McKenzie.

The most recent amendment changed the program from a scholarship/loan program to just a scholarship award. The house bill passed out of the Higher Education Subcommittee and moved to the Education Administration Committee to be considered next week while the senate companion bill passed the Education Committee and is headed to the Finance, Ways, and Means Committee.

Gun Bills Fail

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to defeat two key gun bills. SB816/HB1385 would have redefined “intent to go armed” in such a way that weapons would have been allowed in spaces previously prohibited unless the individual intended to commit an infamous crime. The Tennessee Department of Safety, the judicial community, the higher education community, and others opposed the bill. The measure failed with a vote of two in favor and six opposed.

SB827/HB977 would have allowed students, faculty, and staff with an enhanced conceal carry permit to carry handguns on educational property – both K-12 and higher education. The bill expanded areas on education grounds where weapons would have been permitted. The Tennessee Department of Safety and the education community opposed the measure. The bill failed on a vote of three in favor and five opposed.

WGU Bill Passes Senate Education Committee

Sen. Bo Watson and Rep. Chris Hurt have revived efforts to allow Western Governors University (WGU) access to the Hope Scholarship program (SB112/HB116). If passed, the bill would change the definition of an eligible institution for Hope Scholarships. The bill would make an exception to the Tennessee domiciled requirement for eligibility. WGU is an accredited university by a former regional accreditor but is headquartered in Utah, thus currently making it an ineligible university. TICUA has remained opposed to altering the definition of eligible institutions.

The bill carries a hefty $3.3 million fiscal note, but more concerning is that it would open the door to other non-Tennessee domiciled accredited institutions operating in the state to request access to the scholarship program. Last count, there are over 50 colleges and universities accredited by a former regional accreditor operating in Tennessee with on-ground and/or online programs. Some of these include the University of Arkansas, Troy State University, Lindsay Wilson College, BIOLA University, and Bellarmine University.

The bill passed the Senate Education Committee with a vote of nine in favor and one opposed. Chairman Jon Lundberg served as the lone opposing vote on the measure. TICUA testified against the bill, but our concerns were largely dismissed. The bill will now move to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration. The house companion bill has been assigned to the lottery calendar of the Higher Education Subcommittee and will be considered on Monday.